EA boss: 'Gesture-tech will not replace controllers'

Hardcore gamers breath collective sigh of relief

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The CEO of Electronic Arts has gone on record to state that he doesn't think new gesture-tech controllers such as Microsoft's Kinect and Sony's Move will replace traditional control pads at any point in the future.

In particular, first-person shooter and racing games just don't feel right with motion controllers, thinks EA CEO John Riccitiello.

Thumbs still rule

Hardcore gamers that might have been concerned that their years of practice of thumb-based control might have been 'wasted time' need worry no more!

Riccitiello told IndustryGamers that, in his esteemed opinion, certain genres were better suited to different methods of control.

"I think that there will be genres where the gesture-based gaming... will actually be the superior way to play. Dance games, music games, exercise games. It's really hard to imagine an exercise game with your thumbs," said the EA boss.

"It's really hard to imagine that I'm going to play a future edition of Medal of Honor, or Call of Duty, or Battlefield, hiding behind my couch, making a gun out of my finger. I've tried driving with gesture-based controls; I don't really like it."

"My guess is that some genres will be best on Move over Kinect, over controllers; some genres will be best on Kinect over Move and controllers, and some genres will be best on controllers and then there will be some blend..."

It is the developments in those games where there will be 'some blend' such as Microsoft's forthcoming new Forza title (which allows you to mess around with your cars in the garage using motion control, but uses traditional control pads or steering wheels for the racing aspects of the game) that we will be eagerly looking out for as 2011 progresses.